Solving bus query would be quest the ticket for Glyn
Transport historian Glyn Bowen is on a quest – to pinpoint the 1980s Telford home of Quest 80 Ltd, an innovative firm which pulled out of the town over 30 years ago.
In December Glyn is giving a talk to the Friends of Ironbridge Gorge Museum titled “50 years of Bus Services in Telford: 1968-2018” as part of the Telford 50 celebrations.
He wants to include a brief history of Quest 80 Ltd, a firm which built bus and coach chassis at premises in Stafford Park.
And now he is hoping Shropshire Star readers can tell him exactly where it was – and if somebody had a picture as well, that would really make his day.
His best guess is that Quest's last home in Telford was in a unit which is now used by the VW dealership on the estate, but he is not sure.
Glyn, who is a retired municipal bus manager and transport historian living in Telford, said: "While I have built up a reasonably comprehensive account of Quest 80's activities in Telford, including details of the vehicles produced, I have a problem with the actual location, or locations, of their premises.
"Quest 80 Ltd was established in 1979 as an innovative engineering design, development and production company and became involved in a consultative capacity with the Sigma Power Corporation Ltd of South Africa on the development of a new generation of Johannesburg trolleybuses.
"This led to a commission to build a prototype chassis which was exported to South Africa in 1981. It appears that the original production unit was Unit C8, Stafford Park 11, Telford, and this address was used on publicity material for the remainder of their time in Telford.
"This was the only trolleybus built, but Quest 80 turned their attention to developing innovative bus and truck chassis. A few prototype truck and bus chassis were completed in 1982/3 but production of bus and coach chassis began in earnest the following year.
"At some time production appears to have moved to larger premises at Unit B, Stafford Park 2, Telford, TF3 3DB, but I have been unable to positively identify the actual unit.
"The most likely candidate is the building used by the current VW dealership on Stafford Park although the building has been extensively modified.
"In summer 1984 production of chassis was transferred to the Andover, Hampshire, premises of Locomotors Ltd and the Telford premises closed."
Glyn, who can be reached at bowendgb@aol.com by email, said: "I wonder if any readers worked for the company or can positively confirm the location of their Telford premises. Particularly welcome would be a photograph of the exterior of the premises, but that is probably asking too much!"
Glyn's talk to the Friends is on December 11 In the Glass Classroom, Museum Offices, Coalbrookdale, at 2.30pm.
